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Friday, April 1, 2011

The Story of a Showmance (aka Quilt Album Giveaway)

I have a confession for you, dear readers. It all started back in November, when I was invited to be a guest on Pat Sloan's radio show. That brief encounter kicked off a showmance so hot it rivals anything you might see on Big Brother, The Real World, or The Bachelor. So today, here on my blog, I want to announce ...

April Fool's!!Bwahahahaha!

But I do love me some Pat Sloan. So I was more than happy to be a part of her latest blog hop in support of QuiltAlbum, a new software package that helps you create a digital story of your quilt creations.

If you're reading this, three things are probably true:

You're a quilter, crafter, sewist, or someone very interested in one of these things.

You're online.

You like to take (and share) pictures of your crafty creations.

And if that's the case, then you're exactly who QuiltAlbum had in mind when they developed their product.

Here's a brief description taken directly from the welcome screen of the program:

QuiltAlbum is an easy-to-use way to store important information about your quilts – when they were made, who designed them, what methods were used, etc. – and to keep photographs you have taken of your quilts. So you will always have a stored memory of your quilts even if you give them away to family or friends.

QuiltAlbum also provides easy tools to print out those photos and information – as pages to be kept in an album (or a three ring binder!); as greeting cards in a wide variety of formats; or even as images to use on personal business cards you can use with your friends!

You have spent many hours creating your quilts. Now you owe it to yourself and your family to create a lasting and complete record.

Now, I've installed and played with the software myself. Though I think the interface design is a bit traditional and could stand a few new "skins" to appeal to the younger, modern quilter, the functionality is there. And that's what matters, right?

ETA: And yes, it does run on both Mac & PC!!

Here's just one screen shot to give an idea of the software's functionality:

(Not my quilts.)

I think it's a fantastic idea for quilters of any age to begin keeping a record to chronicle our quilting journeys. And in today's day and age, digital is the way to go. Think of all the quilts you make and give away as gifts. Don't you want to hold on to the memories of making that quilt? QuiltAlbum offers a powerful, easy-to-use interface for us to begin keeping that electronic record of our creations.

Sound interesting? Well, I have a copy of QuiltAlbum to give away to one lucky reader. Yeah, that's right -- I have TWO giveaways open on my blog right now. I'm cool like that.

But before we get to the giveaway ...

Having never done one of Pat's blog hops before, I didn't realize that answering a few fun questions was part of the deal. So, are you ready to get to know a little more about me?

What one item do you really want to add to your studio and why?

Ever since Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs postedpictures of her quilting studio, I've been dreaming of having a pair (not one, but a pair) of large cutting tables floating in the middle of my studio. Oh, to have that space, storage, and flexibility! My second dream item would be a big closet with a killer built-in storage system.

Photo courtesy of Anne Sutton.

What color would you paint your living room if you had to do it right now?

I would definitely go with a shade of grey. I'm really digging grey right now as my neutral of choice, and I think I've finally convinced Mrs. QD to let me paint a room grey. Does anyone have good suggestions for a specific shade?

Share a little know fact about yourself .. with a bit of detail please.. wink!

I've got two interesting tidbits to share. First, I went to high school with TV's Webster. Yup, that's right -- Emmanuel Lewis himself, in Brooklyn NYC. (ETA: oh, yeah ... and my classmate and lacrosse teammate was Adam Richman from Man vs. Food. Thanks for the reminder, Rachel!)

Second, when I worked at Kraft Foods, I starred in several internal sales videos ... dressed as Mr. Peanut. Yup, I donned the Mr. Peanut costume on several occasions. I think I made a great Mr. Peanut!

What is the last piece of fabric you bought?

Nothing too exciting here. I recently picked up a few yards of Moda Bella solid in the Feather color. I've recently discovered this shade -- somewhere between white and grey -- and I love it. It's going to be the sashing for a quilt I'm working on using Sunkissed.

Other recent purchases: charm packs of "Basics" by Basic Grey for Moda, and some of the non-novelty prints of Basic Grey's "Max & Whiskers" line. Oh, and I stocked up on the turquoise and orange grunge fabrics that are part of that line. D'uh ... WINNING!

(Photo stolen borrowed from Rachel, who has the same great taste as me!)

And now for the fun part. Simply leave a comment on this post and I'll pick a random winner on April 6th. Increase your chances of winning by visiting the other stops on the blog tour and entering their giveaways:

186 comments:

Oh, be very careful if you paint grey, it's super difficult. Spend the extra money to get one of those small samples to test out. I tried it in my dining room and it came out the color of wet cement. blech! I got a great one for my bedroom, but it's almost white. I forget the color.And those are my fav easter candy too. Those bags last about 2 days around here between all of us!thanks for another great giveaway.

I painted a large wall in my house the color mountain smoke (valspar, lowes). I chosenthat over a straight up gray, it has just a hint of a warmer tone to it. I felt like I could make it last more with my changing home dec then a standard gray. I agree about the paint samples though it's a big help. I bought a gallon thinking I knew exactly what I wanted and as started putting it on the wall it was way to light. I love color though :-) lots of big color!

Hi Quilting Dad. I wish I could get my John interested in my quilting. From what I have read about QuiltAlbum it sounds like the perfect program for my geeky side. Thanks for being a part of this Blog Hop!

Hey, who wouldn't love a studio like that? All huge and neat as a pin! lol I'm not so sure about gray. Built a new house...did everything, carpet, counter tops, etc., in grey so that "anything" would go with it. It got old real quick. I love the Cadbury Mini Eggs...I always look for them and the whopper Robin's Eggs at Easter!!

Right now I would be happy with a room of any size where I could actually leave my sewing machine plugged in! That studio does look dreamy though. And I would LOVE to have this software. I am also a photographer, and I have an album in progress (like a wedding album) but it doesn't really "organize" all of the data well. I have photos of everything, but all of my data about each quilt is currently in an excel worksheet... Hardly ideal.

I lived in Brooklyn for 10 years. It's a big place. Where did you live there? I miss it though now that I live in the Midwest, I don't think I could give up all of the conveniences of suburban life. :-)

With grey paint, just be mindful of what colors are already in your room because that lovely shade of grey can very easily appear to be a dainty shade of lavender. Dark green definitely helps this effect.

I'm seriously coveting those pottery barn cutting tables. Every time I open their catalog, I drool over those things. This QuiltAlbum looks awesome. I definitely need some way to organize my quilt photos. Thanks for the chance to win. P.S. Sad the Tar Heels are done, but they looked good, huh?

I think the Quilt Album could be very cool, if it works on a Mac. Does it let you track your projects as you work on them? It would be great to have a place to track all my UFOs and WIPs as I (hopefully) finish them!

I admit to being amused when you said you would paint your living room grey. My house was built in the late 80s, when grey was the "new neutral." In my finished basement, *everything* was grey, the walls, ceiling, carpet, curtains, bathroom fixtures, bathroom tiles -- I couldn't wait to paint it!

Wow this has been a great journey for the software and I would love to have it. I love your sense of humor...Oh and I want you to know that you are the only male blog that I belong to and I think it is truly awesome that you are so envolved in the quilting world....thanks for everything...I love butter cream eggs myself....chocolate and cream what better way to spend some time with chocolate...

I would love to change out my furniture in my sewing room to all built ins and storage units to make it easier to find and put things back. Love this new book, so many wonderful appliques to mix and match.

mmm mini eggs...the large costco size bag lasts about 2 days in my house LOL and i have to admit most of them are eaten by me! Thanks for a chance to win - this totally appeals to my inner techie geek.

One thing I would like to add to my sewing "studio" is a housekeeper! Help, I need someone to put back all the fabric I take out to audition for a quilt. I would just love to have a little "fairy" come behind me and tidy up what I have messed up. Who said being creative equals neatness anyways!

I went to high school with A Martinez. He was in the mini-series Centennial and I think on a soap opera. I see his name pop up on a TV show now and then. He was class president of the class before me. And..........the Smothers Brothers went to my HS!

I would love to have a space big enough to just have even one cutting table...I love the malted Easter eggs the best! Cadbury's are on the top of the list also...must go and buy some Easter candy after seeing everyone's favorites this week....

Wooh! Thats a relief, for a moment I thought that you were going to say that you wanted a pretty pink, frilly studio like Anne Sutton, but you are right 2 big cutting benches would be fantastically ideal for any crafty studio.

Chocolate, almost any kind would make me happy. Who needs an excuse (like Easter)? I agree with the two cutting tables. There are many times you need that extra room. I like to work on more than one project at a time, and, with 2 tables, you wouldn't have to put one up before working on the other. Please enter me for the software. I'd love to try it out.

I've been keeping a quilt album since 1997 and last year with yet another move, decided to ditch it as it was taking too much room. Now to have something electronically is a much better idea and very practical for one moving every two to three years.

I don't think my post got posted :( Here it is again anyway...Any color of grey/gray with the word slate should look great on a wall. You can never go wrong with Reese's Peanut Butter, no matter the time of year:). I'm with ya on the cutting tables, love them! Thank you for joining in on the fun of this blog hop...like your blog!

Your Mr. Peanut story is terrific! My son (about your age) is deathly allergic to peanut-anything and has been all his life. So for Halloween this past year he built a spot-on costume of Mr. Peanut (chicken wire and papier-mache) for himself, complete with monocle, spats, hat and cane. If I could, I'd post you a picture of it. He won the costume award, but said that the chicken wire treated him almost as badly as a full-on allergic reaction to peanuts! Too bad I didn't make him a Mr. Peanut quilt (now there's a thought!). It would have made a great entry into Quilt Album, along with his Mr. Peanut costume.

I just love a man in a top hat, I have dresses as a Love Bear, a Purple Dino (guess who), a Gorilla, A yellow chicken, a Pink Panther and a clown, and I had the best time, you can have so much fun and no one knows who you are.... LOVE IT... but I sold the Flower and Balloon shop and no more dress up for me... I love the Cadbury eggs too, and the Jelly Belly eggs and the Lindt... OH SO GOOD>>>

i have longed for such thing as this Quilt Album. I'm also a knitter and use Ravelry regularly. I would love to have something similar for sewing but I would very much enjoy this software as a journal of my finished quilts.

I've only been quilting for a few years and am currently on my 5th quilt so this would be the PERFECT time to get that software! In other news, your dream sewing room is also mine, as are Cadbury Eggs! its like we're quilting-soulmates LOL :) Love your posts! Thanks!

I LOVE those Cadbury mini eggs too! I always buy a "stash" to eat over the next several months when you can no longer get them in the stores:) And I have to say that I'm jealous of Anne Sutton's entire sewing room. Thanks for sharing.

My late husband was a defensive lineman for UNC. So, GO HEELS! What an inspiration you are to this old quilter. In a lifetime of quilting, I have never documented any of my quilts. REGRETS!! Never too late to start and this program seems the ticket. For my studio, a huge walk-in closet for storing my lovelies where I can see them but sunlight is not a problem.

Grey is also my neutral color of choice ~ both in decorating and fabric choice! Love the cutting tables in the quilting studio ~ a great addition to any quilt studio. Thanks for a chance to win this fantastic organizing software.

I would love to win the software, I've been wanting to organize my projects for years but really haven't gotten around to it. It just seems like a huge undertaking, but the software sounds like a godsend.

My fave Easter candy are the Sweet tarts that are shaped like bunnies and chicks.

The software sounds neat. I could keep track of all my UFO's as well....My daughter is a knitter and she keeps track of all her projects in a binder so maybe this could be helpfuly for her as well. It was neat to hear about Mr. Peanut.

It's interesting when people we know become TV stars. I'd like a sewing room big enough for two cutting tables, too. But really I"m just happy I have a room to myself. My mess can be behind closed doors.

The software is so darn practical.....how I wish I had it years ago so I could have documented all those quilts that I have given away.thanks so much for a chance to win!Yes, to Anne Sutton's studio is a huge dream of a lot of us quilters.....and all that neatness and order.....divine. Hey, did you see where SewCalGal voters picked Anne as designer of the year? Well deserved Anne congratulations!Thanks again for the chance to win :0)

Thanks very much for the info about Quilt Album-I know I would enjoy using it.I like neutrals for walls so I can show off my quilts! Every grey has a different undertone; we all know that from fabrics-a very light grey with a blue undertone might be calm and cool.I'm signing up for the feed to your blog now since I come to visit often.

Just getting back to quilting after many years - it would be so wise to keep track of all the ones I've started and the QuiltAlbum would make it fun and even more creative. Thanks for an inspiring blog and the chance to win.

What a great idea for quilters! Anything to help me be more organized is a plus, and I love the idea of documenting all my quilts, etc. I hope I win!And if the Easter Bunny knows what is good for him he will put hershey's kisses in my basket!Jenny in Florida

This software sounds awesome!! I would immediately put in my pinwheel quilt that I made for my own bed, copied from the quilt in the movie, "You've Got Mail". I fell in love with that quilt as soon as I saw it. I added a pinwheel border and put the pinwheels on point. Then I would put in all the baby quilts that I have made. After eating many Cadbury mini-eggs!!